Roger Federer’s attitude greatly influenced by wife Mirka, reveals former fitness trainer

Roger Federer’s behaviour on the tennis court used to make headlines on various sports media outlets as the Swiss tennis maestro often lost his cool in the heat of big matches. The 17-time grand slam champion used to whine at bad calls and either slam balls or rackets in anger, but this picture of Federer is a thing of the past.

In contrast to his attitude as a young professional, the Swiss has now learned to keep calm and maintain a controlled attitude, which he had mastered over the last six years. According to Federer’s former fitness trainer Paul Dorochenko, a significant factor on the Swiss’ behavior change is his wife Mirka.

As French tennis player Benoit Paire recently admitted in an interview that he can’t change his attitude like Federer did, Dorochenko was asked about if he had influence on Federer’s change of behaviour given that he used to work for him when the Swiss was younger. Dorochenko said it didn’t take one day for them to change Federer’s attitude. He revealed that it was more of a team effort, but much credit should be given to Mirka, who is now married to Federer and blessed with two sets of twins.

“When Federer was younger, we hired a sports psychologist,” Dorochenko told Punto de Break. “But the determining factor was when he met his wife.”

Dorochenko added that the big brands that sponsored Federer also wanted the Swiss to make a change. In return, Federer’s composed on-court behaviour has attracted more endorsements, which Dorochenko explained as the “good rewards” that will come if professional athletes behave better.

Federer and Mirka got together in 2000 during the Summer Olympics in Sydney. He once said that Mirka has been a “rock” in his corner. She basically handles everything from managing Federer’s career, traveling and media commitments, scheduling, sponsorship, and even his clothing and product lines.

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